A Fifth of NYC Built on Bygone Water Now at Risk: Study Maps City’s 'Blue Zones' A groundbreaking study reveals that more than one-fifth of New York City’s land is classified as a "Blue Zone"—areas historically shaped by water, currently vulnerable to flooding, and projected to remain at risk due to climate change. Researchers from the New York Botanical Garden, in a paper published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, mapped these zones by analyzing historical water patterns, current flood risks, and future projections. The findings highlight the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades and climate resilience strategies as rising seas and extreme weather threaten the city’s future. The study identifies over 500 Blue Zones across the five boroughs, encompassing more than 20% of the city’s land area. These zones, which include marshes, ponds, streams, and former wetlands, are now home to 1.2 million residents and 11% of the city’s buildings. Eric Sanderson, vice president of urban conservation at the New York Botanical Garden and a co-author of the paper, emphasized the scale of the issue: “Everybody was startled, including us, that it’s more than 20% of the city. That combination—you can’t really argue with it—places that were wet, are wet and will be wet in the future.” The Blue Zones are not just remnants of the past; they are critical indicators of future flood risks. Lucinda Royte, lead author of the study and manager of urban conservation at the Botanical Garden, explained that these areas serve as a guide for planning resilient infrastructure. “It can be a pretty good guide about where we’ll see flooding in the future as a result of coastal flooding from storm surge and sea level rise, and inland flooding from rainfall events,” she said.#new_york_city #new_york_botanical_garden #annals_of_the_new_york_academy_of_sciences #eric_sanderson #lucinda_royte
